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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Wal-Mart Crime report September 2016

Walmart is responding to their high crime problem with efforts to privatize security and even take over activities that were previously handled by the courts. This should raise major questions from civil liberty groups. At least one store in Joplin Missouri is offering suspects a way to avoid being arrested if they have a clean record and agree to take an on line course costing $400 up front or $500 in installments.

This totally by passes the courts and doesn’t seem to involve consulting with lawyers. It may put the entire judicial process in the hands of private for profit corporations that aren’t concerned about the rights of the suspects or negative externalities that might impact the community when this does little or nothing to reduce crime problems.

This is a disaster waiting to happen!

There should be little or no doubt that this will not do much if anything to reduce crime since Walmart and their political allies have been ignoring the root causes of their high crime problem for years. They refuse to consider their cost cutting policies invite higher crime, or that their union busting tactics and bad customer service is angering a lot of people and contributing to their crime problems.

Even one of the articles about their crime problem opens by saying repeatedly that they’re committed to low prices, which isn’t always true. The media that finally reports on this is still skewering their reports for Walmart’s benefit acting as an advertiser for them when ever possible.

Reports have also come out this month about the enormous amounts of money Walmart and the Walton family are spending on political activity including donations to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and efforts to support Charter Schools and privatize the education system. Coincidence or not E-mails have also shown that the State Department under Hillary Clinton has aided Walmart abroad.

The government routinely acts in favor of Walmart when there are disputes; and we’re supposed to believe that if Hillary Clinton gets elected she’ll fight to raise the minimum wage after catering to her donors for so long. This includes when excessive force leads to criminal charges, which blame the people at the lowest level without considering if Walmart policies might have contributed to this or not. These are not isolated incidents; they happen all the time, including one manslaughter trial currently going through courts and a lawsuit and someone who claims he was fired for defending himself.

The police are also routinely used to pupress protests at Walmart at taxpayer expense including workers standing up for their rights and civil rights activists protesting when police or security workers kill civilians.

When Walmart has their way the government often seems to act as a subsidiary.

There were at least nine shooting incidents at Walmart this month including at least four deaths, one of which was a suicide, and another that was an attempted suicide both in front of police. There were also several other gun related injuries and at least two other deaths that weren’t gun related.

A couple other gun related incidents include one where someone yelling racial slurs threatened to kill people but didn’t fire; and someone that simply feels it’s necessary to carry a weapon where ever he goes even if it leads to panic on a regular basis and the police routinely investigate him; however he’s in an open carry state and they don’t kill him, whether it’s because he’s white or not.

Several assaults including someone attacked using a walker and another threatened with a shovel, and another were a women was knocked off a moving vehicle. There are always attacks on employees usually after they try to intervene in shoplifting incidents; but there are also plenty of disgruntled customers that take it out on the workers including one this month who threatened to stab a worker after being refused a return.

Florida seems to get more than their share of dead bodies being found on the premises and this month they found another that had been decomposing for at least a week before being discovered.

I don’t think that is semi-routine anyplace else but Walmart.

They also had at least two arsons this month including one by a teen and another by an employee who according to her lawyer might have been “hearing voices.” There are no reports of this incident being a result of a disgruntled employee, although the media might not report that if it was true.

Walmart had an enormous amount of complaints after creating a 9/11 display out of Coke products. There was little emphasis about who made this decision; but apparently it was designed by Coke not Walmart as part of their in store promotional efforts. The public is mostly unaware that this is part of routine slotting fees that are negotiated with large corporations among each other, and presumably most of them are subject to non-disclosure agreements.

Enough information about these slotting fees have been disclosed to demonstrate that the “free market,” as they refer to this economic system has been eliminated years if not decades ago. These slotting fees are part of an effort to divide up the market and they’re rarely ever reported to the majority of the public, except in a few books like “No Logo” by Naomi Klein or “Big-Box Swindle” by Stacy Mitchell.

Another Walmart study came out showing that Walmart in white neighborhoods have fewer complaints, although these studies are rarely reported widely by traditional media. And they’ve also been caught selling expired products in the Tampa area; this is routine, although they’re not likely to be reported unless customers speak out, which they did in this case. Another story about customers being bitten by beg bugs came out as well. And they have their share of customers that are as abusive as Walmart including one that wrapped hid daughters hair around the cart and dragged her around the store as punishment.

Walmart has the patent for self driving carts now; what could go wrong with that? If nothing goes wrong it will be a rare exception. They’re also being sued for bribing the Mexican government again, although this will almost certainly drag out for years longer than it already has. Wouldn’t it be nice if our taxpayer money was spent on roads and bridges along with schools instead of lawsuits against corporations with political connections?

Once again the shoplifters arrested by the police was another police officer who even did his stealing in uniform and drove off in a patrol car. They don’t get prosecuted for killing minorities often but when they steal from Walmart they get arrested.

You would think that if some one killed another person and wanted to dispose of the body they wouldn’t put it in a trunk and drive to a location famous for having more security cameras than anyone else then walk in to the store so the cameras can get a close look at the murderer when they check them days later after the body was found.

But apparently some murderers aren’t quite that smart.

You would think that if a customer asked Walmart employees to exchange money for sex that it wouldn’t be a good time to go on a shoplifting spree afterwards since he might have drawn attention to himself.

But apparently some shoplifters aren’t quite that smart.

Threatening to inject women with HIV as part of an escape attempt probably isn't that smart either; but it's unique and it worked .... temporarily.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues un-investigaterd and have provided additional information under the author tag Walmart Crime Watch.

Stacy Mitchell has also compiled a list of other studies about Wal-Mart and how they impact society, Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business. To the best of my knowledge Wal-Mart has done as little as they seem to get away with, often relying on rhetoric that isn't backed up with action, when it comes to addressing any of their critics concerns, including crime. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in September 2016. According to the "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" the average store in their sampling had 250 incidents per year, indicating that these are only a fraction of the crime reports at Wal-Mart, and presumably, the ones most likely to make the news on the internet nationwide. This isn't statistically representative, as the 2006 or the "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" study or some of the studies cited by Stacy Mitchell; but it does provide some additional information that may help recognize how many problems there are at Wal-Mart.

Man, 63, found dead inside the trunk of his car in San Antonio Tx. Walmart parking lot on Southwest Side 09/02/2016

SAN ANTONIO — A 63-year-old man was found dead inside the trunk of his vehicle Thursday night or Friday morning on the Southwest Side, according to police.

Police officers responded to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday at a Walmart in the 8500 block of Interstate 35 South.

SAPD Sgt. Jesse Salame said a man’s probation officer reported him missing. A preliminary police report stated the man did not check into curfew for the night, which was “out of character” for the man.

Investigators were sent to the location for a potential missing person, finding the man’s vehicle in the parking lot. The victim was wearing an ankle monitor, Salame said, which may have been tracked to that location. Complete article

There is officially a pair of sneakers selling for $6,499 on Walmart's website. The shoes on offer are a couple of Kanye West's famed Nike Air Yeezy 2s in red, and they are going for the price of a pretty solid used car.

Walmart itself did not set the price, as the size 8.5 footwear was posted on the site by a reseller called Sole-Unlimited LLC.

The shoes are listed in the sale description as "Nike Mens Air Yeezy 2 SP 'Red October' Red 508214-660," and identified as "Brand New in Original Box. Comes with all accessories associated with the release. Original Receipt will be included." And, according to the site, there's "[o]nly one left!" Complete article

A man yelled a racial slur and threatened to kill people while wielding a shotgun in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Monday night, Ozark police say.

Christopher Joseph Lucier, 28, of Ozark, was arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat, obstructing government operations and public intoxication. He is being held in the Dale County Jail on $12,000 bond.

According to the arrest report, officers were called to the Wal-Mart store at around 10:40 to the report of a possible drunk driver trying to push his vehicle in the parking lot.

On the way to the scene, officers learned the suspect, later identified as Lucier, was threatening to kill people with a shotgun. Complete article

We're talking good customer service. Clean stores. Stocked shelves. Short check-out times.
According to a new study, yes.

Andy Reich, a Columbia University Assistant Professor of Sociology says his study has revealed not all Walmarts are created equal.

To simplify his findings, he says, White and rich neighborhoods have better Walmarts than Black and poor neighborhoods.

“People used words like ‘unorganized’, ‘nasty’ and ‘worst’ to describe stores in communities of color much more than they used those words to describe Walmarts in Whiter communities,” Reich said in a Skype interview. Complete article

When Deneen Wyman walked into a Walmart store on Sunday, she didn’t expect to buy expired baby formula not once, but twice. When she went to return the expired formula the first time, she was sold another expired one that had been outdated since May.

It wasn’t an isolated incident. Wyman, a handful of other local shoppers and Tampa Bay Times reporters found dozens of expired merchandise on the shelves at Walmart stores in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties recently. The Times found more than three Walmart stores in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties had expired goods on the shelves on Tuesday, from three-week-old sour cream to Gerber brand butternut squash and potato baby food that expired in February. Reporters also found expired prenatal and children’s vitamins, children’s allergy and fever medication and baby formula. ....

“So I went back to the store and spoke to customer service. They gave me a refund and apologized, so I changed out the milk,” she said.

When she got home a second time, she noticed that the second one she’d purchased was also expired. This time the expiration date was May 1.

“I usually shop at Publix downtown but they don’t sell this brand,” Wyman said. “But I know I would have never had this problem at any Publix location. What really bothers me is that it’s happening in a community that’s already poverty stricken and this community depends on this store.” Complete article

A northwest Indiana workforce agency is getting a portion of a $3.6 million grant from Wal-Mart's charitable foundation to back education and employment services for retail workers, with extra support from a Cook County group.

In March, the foundation tapped the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, which provides free services to job seekers and businesses, to select 10 workforce development boards across the country seeking funding for innovative retail job training services. The Cook County organization plans to study the results of the recipients' programs to share with roughly 550 workforce development boards nationwide.

The Chicago agency isn't getting any of the newly announced money, but more than $1 million of the foundation's total $10.9 million grant will fund local programs, including a new center providing retail-focused training at 218 S. Wabash Ave. that recently opened and aims to serve at least 600 people this year, said Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership spokeswoman Dunni Cosey Gay. Complete article

Walmart's Walton family backing Clinton 09/07/2016

The heirs of late Walmart founder Sam Walton are backing Hillary Clinton for president.

Collectively, the leading members of Arkansas' Walton family have given about $714,000 to the candidate and the Democratic Party during the current election cycle, federal records show.

The donations are an example of the longstanding ties between the Walton and Clinton families. It is an awkward situation for the candidate, a former Walmart board member, since most of her allies in organized labor and the broader liberal movement detest the Waltons, mainly because of the company's anti-union stance. Complete article

Newly released emails from Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state detail how the State Department assisted Walmart's efforts in 2011 to buy a South African retail chain called Massmart despite the opposition of local unions.

The emails show that U.S. diplomats talked up Walmart to skeptical South African government officials, even playing some hardball on the company's behalf.

Other emails show that Clinton retained close ties to the Arkansas-based retailer, where she was a board member from 1986 through 1992. Clinton has more recently sought to distance herself from the company, which many liberal groups despise for its anti-union stance. Complete article

Man shot in shoulder in Skibo Walmart parking lot 09/07/2016

An altercation in the parking lot of a Fayetteville Walmart on Tuesday ended with a man being shot in the shoulder.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Police are conducting a death investigation near the Walmart on Lem Turner Road Wednesday night.

Rescue personnel were called out to a cardiac arrest around 8 p.m. to a car in the parking lot there, says Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department dispatch.

However, members of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office have since said they believe the body to have been there for at least a week and that it may be related to a possible missing person's case. Complete article

THOMASTON, Maine — A man was critically injured Wednesday night after he shot himself in front of a sheriff’s deputy while in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart.

Knox County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tim Carroll said that the man had called the Knox County Regional Communications Center shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday to report that he was considering suicide.

Sgt. Patrick Polky responded and as he got out of his cruiser to approach the man, the man shot himself in the chest, Carroll said. Complete article

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- People are furious after pictures of a Florida Walmart's 9/11-themed Coke display began to circulate on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

Twitter user Shawn Richard Tweeted a picture of the display, which presented Coke Zero in place of Ground Zero and spurred thousands of angry retweets about the beverage company's marketing ploy.

“We stopped and stared at it like, oh my god,” Richard said, according to BuzzFeed News. “Nobody seemed to be noticing it, it wasn’t very crowded, and I got the feeling that it had just been assembled. So we took some pics and went on our way.”

Orlando Weekly reports the display has been taken down and that Walmart initially approved the design.

In less than two days, the post has more than 2,492 retweets and 4,114 likes. Complete article

.... A Coca-Cola spokeswoman told me that the display had been created by the company's local bottling partner.

She offered me this statement on behalf of Coca-Cola Bottling Company: "This display was meant to honor local firefighters and to support their organization's upcoming event. We sincerely apologize that anyone was offended or misunderstood its intent, and we have replaced the display."

Report reveals that Walmart heirs have donated $1.75M to super PACs in New York supporting charter schools 09/08/2016

ALBANY — Two of the heirs to the Walmart fortune have donated $1.75 million since July to super PACs operating in New York, records show.

Alice Walton donated a combined $1.25 million to three of the independent expenditure committees, all of which support charter schools and other education reforms. Her brother, Jim Walton, gave $500,000 to one. They both live primarily in Bentonville, Ark.

The donations, all of which were made in July, are receiving heavy criticism from an anti-Walmart group.

“The Walton family, which created Walmart, is responsible for destroying communities across the country,” said Audrey Sasson, director for Walmart-Free NYC. “We can't let that happen here. That's why we're calling on the Waltons to take their dangerous dollars out of New York politics immediately.” Complete article

Portsmouth NAACP President James P. Boyd and the co-founders of the Coalition for Black Americans were cited last month for trespassing at the Wal-Mart where a former Portsmouth police officer shot and killed an unarmed black man.

The charges were filed the day after a peaceful “sit-in” outside the building prompted the store to close early. Company officials claim they verbally told the men that day they were banned from the store.

Following a short hearing Friday, Boyd, Lou Gibbs and Christopher “Rocky” Hines declined to comment on the charges. And Don Scott, an attorney representing Boyd and Gibbs, would say only that his clients were innocent and “they are going to be proven so.” Complete article

Broward Fla. deputy accused of shoplifting at WalMart 7 times, once while in uniform, records show 09/09/2016

A Broward sheriff's deputy finds himself suspended without pay and facing a felony charge after being accused of shoplifting everyday household items from two WalMarts in Coral Springs, according to records obtained Friday by the Sun Sentinel.

Surveillance video shows Deputy Dean Korenic, 46, shoplifting on seven occasions, investigators say. He was in uniform one of the times and drove away with his stolen goods in a marked patrol car three other times, records show.

A 14-year veteran of the agency, Korenic was arrested Tuesday and spent a night in jail before posting $3,500 bond on a felony charge of scheme to defraud/obtain property under $20,000, records show.

"In review of the video ... the theft was apparent and intentional," an affidavit said. "The thefts were committed both in and out of BSO uniform." Sheriff's officials would not provide the videos to the Sun Sentinel Friday.

Korenic, of Margate, was suspended without pay Tuesday. He makes $72,735. Korenic was initially suspended with pay when he was first advised of the investigation on June 6.

SHAWNEE, Kan. —One person was killed and two people were injured in an assault and shooting outside a Shawnee Walmart store Sunday afternoon.
The shooting happened about 1:30 p.m. at the Walmart store near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Maurer Road.

Police said a woman left the store and was putting her infant child in a car seat when two men approached her and one struck her on the head.

Investigators said a man got out of his car to help the woman and was shot multiple times. They said another man saw what happened, got out of his car and shot one of the attackers dead.

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Walmart told 41 Action News it plans to add private security to patrol the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter where a shooting occurred Sunday by end of the month.

According to a company spokesperson, it's been in the works for months.

Sunday's shooting was a gruesome sight that Wendy Macrorie said she's never seen. Complete article

Police: Men point BB gun at SD Walmart shopper 09/12/2016

Two men were arrested after one of them pointed a BB gun at a shopper in the Wal-Mart parking lot over the weekend, according to Rapid City police.

Officers arrested 31-year-old Corey Moran, of Rapid City, and 30-year-old Ethan Moran, of Eagle Butte, on multiple charges after police were called to the Wal-Mart at 100 Stumer Road at 8:40 p.m. Sunday for a weapons call.

An unidentified victim told police they were loading groceries into their vehicle when a passenger in a nearby Dodge Charger pointed a handgun at them. The victim reportedly got into their own vehicle and drove away before contacting police. Complete article

An Oklahoma man is facing felony weapon charges in connection with an incident Wednesday afternoon at a Wal-Mart store in Joplin.

Capt. Bob Higginbotham, with the Joplin Police Department, said Jason R. Mitchell, 33, of Owasso, Oklahoma, apparently became upset when he was refused a return of merchandise in the store at 1501 S. Range Line Road.

Mitchell picked up a fishing reel and threw it against a window on his way out of the store and then pulled out a knife and threatened a female employee who followed him into the parking lot making a video recording of his actions, store employees told police. The employee was not harmed in the incident, according to Higginbotham. Complete article

ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ)– A man committed suicide in a Walmart parking lot in Aberdeen Thursday, according to the Aberdeen Police Department.

Around 7:50 p.m., officers responded to the Walmart located at 645 South Philadelphia Boulevard, for reports of a suicidal man in a vehicle. Officers located the 29-year-old man in the car and received information he was armed.

Police brought in negotiators to the scene, but were not able to communicate with the man.

Members of the Harford County Municipal SWAT Team approached the vehicle and discovered the man suffered head trauma. Officers provided medical attention immediately but determined the man was already dead. Complete article

Details emerge in shooting by police at Kearny NJ Walmart 09/16/2016

A man suspected of shoplifting at the Walmart in Kearny today was shot by a police officer when he drove his vehicle at the officer while trying to flee, the town's mayor said this afternoon.

The accused shoplifter, Ramon Martinez, 43, of Newark, and a second man, Diego C. Dosreis, age 28, also of Newark, have been charged, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

Police say two assailants knocked out a teenager near a Walmart in Cortland County and then robbed him of his cellphone.

Cortland County Sheriff's deputies responded at 9:46 p.m. Thursday for the reported robbery outside the Walmart store on Bennie Road in Cortlandville. The 19-year-old victim told deputies he was walking to work at the store when he was struck in the head by two people, police said.

According to police, the victim lost consciousness and awoke to feel one of the assailants trying to take his cellphone from his back pocket. Deputies received a description of the suspects from the victim, and both suspects were taken into custody in the area a short time later. Complete article

Video shows what happened during Walmart shoplifting death in Lakeland Fla. 09/17/2016

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – In July, three Lakeland Walmart employees were charged with manslaughter after they detained a man they suspected of shoplifting.

Kenneth Wisham, 64, died less than 12 hours after fighting with the employees. New audio recordings from the Lakeland Police Department reveal what the employees told detectives about the incident not long after it happened.

Former Walmart customer service manager Crucelis Nunez described Wisham as a “homeless looking, white male.” She told police he set off the store alarm as he tried to leave and that another employee tried to stop Wisham from leaving the store. Complete article

In open-carry America, a trip to Ga. Walmart requires an AR-15 09/1/2016

WINDER, Ga. — All Jim Cooley wants to do is buy some soda.

“You want to come to Walmart?” he asks his wife.

“No,” Maria says.

“Pretty please?” Jim asks.

“I’m not going to sit there and have the police called on you. I mean, I don’t want to see that crap,” Maria says, knowing what a trip to Walmart means. She knows her 51-year-old husband has two guns inside the house, and this afternoon it won’t be the 9mm, which he straps on with a round in the chamber when grabbing lunch at his favorite fast-food restaurant or visiting a friend’s auto shop. It’ll be the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, which he brings when going somewhere he thinks is dangerous, like the Atlanta airport, where he’s taken it loaded with a 100-bullet drum, or Walmart, where he thinks crowds could pose an easy targets for terrorists. Complete article

FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. —A man was shot to death Monday in the parking lot of a Lake County Walmart, deputies said.

The shooting happened about 7:15 p.m. outside the Fruitland Park Walmart on Citrus Boulevard, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

The person, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies said the victim is a middle-aged man.

Investigators spent a significant amount of time searching through a red Cadillac in the parking lot and said they found drugs at the scene. Deputies said the shooting may be drug related. Complete article

Father allegedly drags daughter through Texas Walmart by her hair — ‘Please stop... I promise I won't do it again' 09/20/2016

A Texas couple alerted local police to what authorities are now investigating as child endangerment after they witnessed a father allegedly abusing his daughter in public.

Erika and Robert Burch were at a Walmart in Cleveland, Texas when they spotted a young girl crying "please stop. I promise I won't do it again. Please stop!" while her father was allegedly dragging her by her hair, which was wrapped around the top of a shopping cart.

The Burchs called the police and then confronted the father, telling him to stop, to which he responded “I grew up just fine” and that the couple should mind their own business. Complete article

Protesters break into NC Walmart after shutting down part of I-85 09/20/2016

CHARLOTTE, NC - Protesters headed to the Walmart on N. Tryon in the University area after shutting down Interstate-85 at WT Harris Blvd. early Wednesday morning following the shooting death of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.

Officers in riot gear blocked the entry to Walmart after it was broken into. Employees could be seen sweeping up shattered glass at the front entrance.

One employee told FOX 46 Charlotte some technology was stolen including, a flat screen television and iPads. Complete article

‘Con artists’ trick NM Walmart employee out of $2100 09/20/2016

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Police say two ‘con artists’ used an old school trick to scheme a Walmart cashier out of $2,100, and she didn’t even realize it.

It happened on September 1 at Walmart on Carlisle Blvd NE. Two men appear to be making simple transactions, but they definitely had some tricks up their sleeves.

“He’ll purchase a small item and have $100 bill and he’ll talk to the cashier and say, hey give me $80 change and a $10 and a $5. She’ll give that money back over, he’ll hold the money and say actually can you break this down in a different way,” said Officer Drobik. “He’ll ask for money back maybe four $5’s and two $10’s, and the numbers start getting so mixed up, that all of a sudden the cashier thinks that she’s breaking change but he’s actually scheming off the top every time there’s a transaction,” he continued. Complete article

A Hempfield man said in court documents he was improperly fired as a maintenance employee at a Wal-Mart store because he legally restrained a suspected shoplifter.

In a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court, Paul Palmer said he utilized the “shopkeeper's privilege” when he detained a shoplifter in January at the Hempfield store where he worked. Palmer said store officials fired him a week later.

“The shopkeeper's privilege is a recognized doctrine in Pennsylvania whereby a shopkeeper is allowed to detain a suspected (shoplifter) on store property for a reasonable period of time so long as the shopkeeper has cause to believe that the person detained in fact committed or attempted to commit theft of store property,” according to the lawsuit. Complete article

Walmart building new training academy in Hawaii store 09/21/2016

Walmart is opening its first training academy in Hawaii inside a Central Oahu store, Pacific Business News has learned.

The Arkansas-based big-box giant recently filed a $406,265 building permit with the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting for a "Walmart Academy Special Project” at its Pearl City store at 1131 Kuala St.

The Hawaii training academy will join several others across the United States. The first academy opened inside a Walmart Supercenter in Texas. In a blog post on the company’s website, a Walmart academy manager describes the program as bringing together department managers from other stores for a few weeks of structured training by other staff members. Complete article

Walmart Is Being Sued for Allegedly Bribing the Mexican Government 09/22/2016

Walmart must face a class-action lawsuit accusing the world’s largest retailer of defrauding shareholders by concealing suspected bribery to help it expand faster in Mexico, a U.S. judge said.

In a decision on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey in Fayetteville, Arkansas rejected Walmart’s contention that a Michigan pension fund had no standing to lead the case because it had not suffered losses on the retailer’s stock.

The decision means shareholders can sue Walmart WMT 0.11% and former chief executive Mike Duke as a group over the alleged cover-up of bribery at Walmart de Mexico. This could lead to a larger payout at lower cost than if individual lawsuits were required. Complete article

Boy on scooter does $1 million damage in Ca. Wal-Mart arson 09/23/2016

BARSTOW, Calif. (AP) — Police say a 12-year-old boy riding a push scooter set fire to the arts-and-crafts section of a Wal-Mart store in the Southern California desert, leading to losses of more than $1 million.

The store in Barstow remains closed for a third day Friday because of the damages.

Barstow police said in a statement that the boy, who was not with his parents, set the fire with a lighter on Wednesday afternoon. Wal-Mart employees tried to put it out with fire extinguishers but failed, and some had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Complete article

Wal-Mart takes its own approach to shoplifting 09/24/2016

JOPLIN, Mo. — Wal-Mart’s new approach to shoplifting is up and running in Joplin.

People who have a clean record but who are caught shoplifting are being offered a choice by Wal-Mart’s security staff: They can admit guilt and pay $400 to take an online “restorative education” course; or the police will be called.

Offenders unable to pay the money up front have the option of paying $500 for the course in installments.

If the offender fails to pay the fee or finish the online class, Wal-Mart forwards its record of the crime to the police, who have agreed to press charges based on that information.

Dubbed the “Restorative Justice Program,” the new plan replaces a program designed by the Joplin Police Department to reduce officer visits to big box stores. A spokesman for Wal-Mart said that “Restorative Justice” would also serve to reduce police calls. ....

The program is “100 percent offender funded,” according to materials also sent to Joplin police by a company called Corrective Education Company.

Wal-Mart and other retailers may be reimbursed for “collecting the data and processing all offenders through the proprietary CEC reporting process,” according to CEC, but they are not paid based on the number of offenders who go through the training. Complete article

Walmart apologizes for failure to make "racist" cake for Ga. police officer 09/26/2016

MCDONOUGH, GA (CBS46) - A Walmart spokesperson has acknowledge and apologized for a mishap with several employees at a store in McDonough, where a request for a cake to honor a police officer's retirement was not honored.

The cake, according to a Facebook post from Taylor Wilkes, a friend of the officer's family, was to have a blue line/blue lives matter theme to honor the officer. The employees who were to make that cake apparently thought it was a racist message, and refused to make it.
Complete article

PORT ST. LUCIE — A Port St. Lucie man was arrested Monday after an altercation during which he drove through a Wal-Mart parking lot with a woman hanging from his car, according to Port St. Lucie Police.

David Alexander Squitieri, 27, of the 400 block of Southeast Thornhill Drive, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, records show. He was being held Tuesday at the St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of a $15,000 bond.

The 48-year-old Port St. Lucie woman sustained a head injury, cuts and scrapes when she fell from the moving car about 4:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the store in the 1800 block of Southwest Gatlin Boulevard, according to a Port St. Lucie Police arrest affidavit. She was treated at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce. Complete article

Hayden Walmart put on lock down Idaho 09/27/2016

HAYDEN, Idaho - While looking for a man they believed was in the parking lot of the Hayden Walmart Tuesday afternoon, deputies asked people to stay inside the store.

Officials on scene told KHQ there was no public danger concern during the search for the man, but Walmart did lock the doors to ensure people stayed inside.

The Sheriff's Office says there was a man in the parking lot who was allegedly texting his family saying he wanted to do harm to them. Deputies say it was also reported that he may have had a weapon. Once the store was put on lockdown, deputies made contact with the man. He did not have any weapons, but he was taken to Kootenai Health for a protective custody hold. Complete article

STURBRIDGE, Mass. —Police have captured an employee of a Massachusetts Wal-Mart they say set three fires inside the store, forcing the disposal of the store's food.

Sturbridge police announced Thursday that Maiya Cruz was caught in Auburn on Wednesday night.

Police say they identified the Southbridge woman through security video.

Firefighters who responded to the Sturbridge store on Tuesday for a report of a fire in the jewelry section determined that three fires had been set. They were all extinguished by employees and customers. No one was hurt. Complete article

"We know that economically our dedication is to being a low price leader," Josh Williams, a Walmart store director said.

Walmart's in-house security, or loss prevention officers, help keep prices low by watching out for shoplifting. However, 41 Action News discovered that stores in the metro often rely on local police departments instead of private security to keep stores safe. Complete article

Walmart recalls tripod stools due to fall hazard 09/30/2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Walmart is recalling their Mahco Inc. tripod stools after finding that a plastic collar connecting the legs of the stool can break, creating a fall hazard to consumers.

The product has three steel legs and a camouflage polyester fabric seat. It was sold in stores and online from June 2016 through August 2016 for about $6. Complete article

Man shot after leaving Walmart in Orlando Fla. 09/30/2016

ORLANDO, Fla. - A man was shot early Friday shortly after leaving a Walmart in Orlando, deputies said.

The shooting was reported around 12:15 a.m. near the intersection of State Road 50 and Lake Berge Road, near Rouse Road.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said someone opened fire, striking a 24-year-old man, who went into a nearby neighborhood seeking help. Complete article

SWATARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police are searching for a man who allegedly carjacked a woman and threatened to infect her with HIV at a WalMart in Swatara Township Friday afternoon.

Police say 45-year-old Michael Ortiz had just attempted to steal from WalMart at 11:49 a.m. today when he got into a woman's car, threatened to inject her with "something that would give her HIV" and demanded to be driven away from the scene.

The two victims followed his orders, but not for long. While the car was stopped at a red light on Grayson Road, the passenger got out of the car and pointed a gun at him, demanding he get out of the car, police said. Complete article